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Everyone, DO's and DON'Ts on how to approach me at Am Open>>

Many of you are going to be at Am Open for the first time and we will get a chance to meet. I thought I would give you some hints on how to go up to me or any industry person at the tournament.

First of all you must understand that while you have a few gun manufacturers with easy to remember names, I have 10,000 customers so it's a hopeless situation to try and expect me to remember them.

The WORST thing you can say to an industry person is "Hi remember me?" You may have met me and we could have talked at length but the chances of me or Budd etc remembering that is near zero. This kind of approach just aggravates industry people and gets you cut off.

I DO want to talk to you so feel free to come right up. Make it EASY for me to have a conversation with you by telling me who you are, where you are from and how long you have been playing paintball. Then tell me if your an AO member and THEN tell me your nickname from the forum. DON'T come up and say "Hi I'm Mister44 from AO". Nothing will register until "AO" and I still won't have remembered your nick.

If we happen to meet a second time at the tourney, like if you bring a friend up, follow the same procedure. "Hi Tom I'm Bob from Chicago we talked yesterday in the tent and I wanted you to meet my friend Ted". Then if your really smooth you can say "yea Ted, Tom and I were talking about barrel lengths". Now I'm clued in and we can chat for a minute.

Let's say I'm standing there talking only with Budd what do you do? DON'T walk right up and barge into the conversation. Stand quietly about 10 feet away, face us and wait there until we get the idea you want to talk to us. We will signal you to come over when we are finished.

Don't hang around after the conversation lags. It is not unusual for me to talk to several hundred people in one afternoon so short and to the point works out best for everybody.

If industry people are sitting down at a table in the bar or hotel lobby that's NOT a good time to walk up. Sit downs usually mean it's important. I don't even walk up to Budd if he is sitting with someone else without doing the same "10 foot signal routine".

Players asking for signatures is rarer than you might think and we all get a big kick out of doing it. Signatures on anything is ALWAYS appropriate.

If you walk up with an Autococker or Angel you don't have to apologize for the gun you have. If you feel funny just say something nice about mags etc.

Don't come up to me and ask me about gun problems, fixing your gun, checking on your RA, price on parts kits or anything else that gets handled by my office. We have a huge tech staff there at the tourney and basically I don't have a clue about that kind stuff so you are going to get a short response. NEVER NEVER ask for free stuff unless it's something we give away regularly like stickers.

Don't call my office after the tournament and give them some story about "Tom said he will fix my gun personally tomorrow". If we talk and I tell you sure send in your gun we will take care of it for you, that does not mean I will do it myself. The number of people that try this is amazing.

The BEST thing you can do is walk up, do the intro thing and then tell me about how you just won a game with your AGD equipment, or how long you have had it and it still works great. It also GREAT if you tell me about how my staff helped you out, that helps me go get them pumped up when I give them that feedback. Whenever you name someone at the company in a post here on AO I paste that in an E-mail and send it to them.

So that's an outline of how to shmooze the industry people at a tournament. The Am Open is the best place to meet industry types so come on down and have fun. I'm going to post this in Fight Club too so it hangs around a while.

I feel bad for Tom, he has to put up with so many strange kids asking him thousands of questions. Poor Tom I know he can't say it but I bet if Tom could do this without losing customers he'd hire some PR guy to show up. They'd remember names and woul be able to hold down 40 conversations at the same time as well as putting up with whiney kids and adults. Tom get a PR man who does nothing but consume so much time talking that the people that come up to talk to him end up running away becaus he scares them You could also load an e-mag & warp combo with simmunition and keep them ALL away. But that would be cruel and unusual punishment. Not all people are whiney but 70% of the paintball population are.

You forgot a few things Tom. Personally, I like to have the Pages line everyone up and have them approach the Throne one at a time. My faithful scribe will read off their name, station and House, and their Grievance With the Crown. Given a litte thought, I then rule upon the Grievance and the crowd applauds.

If the speaker displeases me, I can either shout for my Royal Headsman, or pull on the bell cord to summon some lackeys to simply have him or her tossed in the Moat.

And don't even get me started on the whole kissing of the Signet Ring bit.

Just kiddin' Mr. K.

I had the opprotunity to chat with Bud Orr when he and Bob McGuire came up in '98 for an Alaskan APL tourney. Since there weren't mobs of people as in tourneys in the States, Bud seemed to enjoy answering a few questions. Though, I admit, he seemed to have heard them all before... Which I can easily understand.

No, no, don't worry, I was kidding! The whole throneroom scenario flashed through my head before I even read the posting itself.

Speaking personally, I've never been "mobbed" in person, but I get a small idea what it's like when I visit a chatroom- ten people immediately start asking "hey, I E-mailed you a week ago about a FlattenBlaster mod and..." and I'm somehow supposed to remember who's who from the fifty-some-odd E-mails I get a day.

The only problem is, Tom, that you know only a bare handful of people who show up at the tourney will have read this post. Maybe the Pages putting everyone in single-file starts sounding better, doesn't it?

Am Open Scenario:
Hey Tom, it's me ****, don't you remember I had a post on the bottom 2 paragraphs on page 6 of the "name the frame" giveaway? I'm sure those are the coolest names....right Tom.....RIGHT TOM?

I would, but my trip has been cancelled due to family reasons. The team undoubtedly will be upset, and i will be out 130.

But back on subject... I can imagine it now... it starts with autographs, then before you know it Tommy Hilfiger and Eddie Bauer are replaced with Tommy Kaye and Buddy Orr clothing outlets... Palmer baseball caps become the rage from the suburbs to the ghetto, Colin Thompson replica cars models line the hobby shops, and Renick Miller Signature Series Toilet paper is in every family's bathroom across the nation.

What I would suggest (as if it matters... LOL) would be giving one of your people (an employee, Webby, other Moderator, etc.) the exact information, and have them post it as a helpful hint, but coming from a second party.

The information gets out there, but perceptions are drastically different.

(But you know how much I like giving you a hard time.. LOL j/k Maybe I should get a graphic of you talking to a crowd and have me in an Elf's outfit on your shoulder? LOL Nah... maybe not. LOL)

Doc: I almost fell out of my chair with your comment. LOL

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“The richest man is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.”

...and arms straight, hands at your side..boots better be polished to a high gloss shine...and those buckles better be shinin' too....and that hat better be on straight...clean shaven ...ARMY? Help me out here please! LOL LOL Just havin' some fun...

LOL, I can just picture some kid coming up to Tom as he's in the middle of a convorsation with Budd, kid jumps in "Tom, can I have an Emag?" lol, then the look on Tom's face as he tries to tell the kid no without hurting his feelings, LOL.

Doc that was a great run with the throne room bit, lol. I'm actually surprised you guys don't get asked for signatures all the time. I won't be there, but I know for when I do go now.

5. Do not point out Tom and yell "Tom Kaye" (in a high pitched voiced) and then faint.
4. Do not spill your beer on Tom when you come up to him at a table in the bar conferring with a group of people. Finish your beer while you wait for him to finish with the people.
3. Do not throw your Mag at Tom and yell, "I just lost with your POS." Remember it wasn't the Mag it was all you.
2. Do not ask for an autograph and then turn around, drop you pants and bend over. Please find a piece of paper. Your instruction manual would be the best item to get signed.

And the #1 DON'T.
1. Do not get nervous when you see Tom Kaye and point him out with a shaking hand in which you forget that you are holding your Mag and accidentally shoot him. This is NOT a good ice breaker. (What do you mean you forgot your barrel plug? What do you mean you forgot to safety your gun?)

LOL, just jesting in fun. I hope everyone has a good time at the AM Open.